John Ogu Slams European Clubs For Downgrading Africa Cup Of Nations

Former Super Eagles’ midfielder, John Ugochukwu Ogu has come out with stunning words of condemnation over what he calls the bad attitude of many European clubs and their coaches in downgrading the Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking against the backdrop of the recent withdrawal by Watford of England attacker, Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis from Nigeria’s squad for this year’s AFCON, Ogu, who starred for the Super Eagles en route to winning bronze at the last edition in 2019, slammed many clubs in Europe for forcing their players to avoid playing the competition.

While issuing startling revelations about how he faced a similar saga during his time of playing in Portugal, where he was punished by his club’s coach for insisting on playing for the national team, Ogu reasoned that many African players are facing situations similar to that of Dennis.

Megasportsarena.com reports further that Ogu, who is fondly called ‘Suker’ by his pals, stopped short of blaming Dennis for the ugly chain of events that eventually saw him replaced by Slavia Prague of Czech Republic winger, Peter Olayinka last week Thursday, but stressed that officials back home should start protecting their players against machinations of their European clubs.

He added that a development like that which saw him dropped from Nigeria’s squad to the 2014 World Cup, simply because he was not playing regularly for his club, as the coach punished him for insisting on honouring his nation’s call, would always make players bow to pressure from their coaches to snub invitations to the Eagles.

The towering left-footed versatile player, who became Eagles’ vice-captained before retiring from the team, and once skippered them in a ceremonial match against Liberia, that featured former world player of the year, George Weah on the opposing side, took to social media to state his reservations with the tendency of European clubs to undervalue the Nations Cup.

Ogu, who did not name the team and coach that punished him for putting country before club, took to social media with his narration and posted: “I’m not even surprised at the situation of them foreign managers or clubs not wanting their players to go represent their country in tournaments.

“One certain manager in Portugal asked (that) I tell the coach of Eagles then that I was injured, so as not to go for a friendly game. After I left, I went back to the club, he stopped playing me, and this was prior to the World Cup coming that year. I mentioned it here and many of there said I was lying and so on.

“Una don see how them be now. I missed out at that World Cup list. The evil part of it was that, when the list came out and he found out I wasn’t invited, the man walked up to me and asked me to call the manager. To list me and that, if he wants, he can start me in the last game in the league.

“I was shocked; how evil one can be. The disrespect to Africans and its football tournaments. They don’t rate any of the tournament at all. We have seen many tournaments FIFA and UEFA already introduced in world football, but when it comes to Africa and Africans, it’s always a different case. It’s well.”